Apparatus for the detection of leakages in the water-jackets of blast-furnaces.



E. RETUERTO Y RIZO. APPARATUS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKAGES IN THE WATER JACKETS 0E BLAST FURNACES.-

APPUCATION FILED JULY I1. 1916. 1,217,346. Patented Feb. 27,1917.

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E. RETUERTO Y RIZO. APPARATUS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKAGES IN THE WATER JACKETS 0F BLAsT FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. I916.

Patented Feb. 27,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor E. RETUERTO Y RIZO.

APPARATUS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKAGES IN THE WATER JACKETS 0F BLAST FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1916.

1,217,346. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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Enrz'yae Retaerw .ykzz' a E. RETUERTO YBIZO. APPARATUS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKAGES IN THE WATER JACKETS 0F BLAST FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY IT. 19l6. 1,217,346. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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APPARATUS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKAGES IN'THE WATER-JACKETS OF BLAST- FURNACES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ENRI UE RETUnR'ro Y Rrzo, a subject of the King of Spain, residing at Portugalete, Spain, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for the Detection of Leakages in the l/Vater-Jackets of Blast- Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the serious damages which water leakages occasion in the interior of blast furnaces, and as it is impossible to prevent the wear of the fittings of the water ackets and the consequent formation of cracks, to provide means which will enable such leakages to be immediately ascertained as soon as they take place.

The apparatus for enabling this tobe effected is based on the principle that when two fluids separated by a wall are subjected to difierent pressures and a crack occurs in the division between them, the fluid under the greater pressure will pass into the space occupied by that under the lower pressure. If these fluids are one water and the other gas, and the tension of the latter is greater than the liquid column, the gas passing through the crack in the partition dividing them will rise through the liquid body if not dissolved thereby and occupy the space above same. If the vessel containing the water is closed at its upper extremity the gases will accumulate at that point, and can be drawn off for analysis if and when required.

An apparatus for this purpose is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in two slightly different forms of embodiment, but both constructed on identically the same principle as that above described.

In these drawings,

Figure 1 represents a side elevation invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section thereof on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a side elevation partly in section of another embodiment of this invention.

Fig. i represents a horizontal section thereof on line 41 of Fig. 3.

The same reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

The essential feature in both forms of ap- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2'7, 1917.

Application filed July 11, 1916. Serial'No. 108,666.

paratus consists in a cylindrical receiver closed at top and provlded near the base with a tube for connection with the outletof the water jacket of the blast furnace any leakage in which it is desired to be able to immediately detect, and which pipe is fitted with a pressure gage.

From the base of the receiver an outlet pipe descends and is then turned upward through an arc of 180.

A tube communicates with the upper closed extremity of the receiver and extends to the exterior.

In the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the receiver 1 is of metal and is fitted with a gage v5 for indicating the level of the liquid therein.

The receiver 1 is preferably of cylindrical form and its upper end is preferably semispherical or dome-shaped and its lower end is flat. The tube 2 which connects said receiver with the water jacket of the blast furnace (not shown) is of the same size or slightly larger in diameter than the outlet of said water jacket. This pipe forms an angle of about 92 with the axis of the receiver, so that said receiver is situated also provided with a pressure gage 10 for indicating the pressure of the column of water in the receiver 1 and fitted with a cock 16 to open and close the communication therewith.

The outlet pipe 3 of the receiver is of slightly greater section than the tube 2, and is of a length approximately equal to the distance from the ground to the horizontal plane passing through the cooling jacket, its lower end being curved upward through Fig. 1 connected to a trough 7. The pipe 3 is fitted with a cock 8 preferably near the base of the receiver -1. The tube 4 communicating with the upper extremity of the receiver 1 is also fitted with a cock 9 for opening and closing such communication, and said tube extends outside said receiver and is bent through an arc of 180 to the axis thereof. This tube 1 leaves the receiver 1 at the top thereof and is extended in a ilk downward direction, and a tube 13 fitted with a cook 15 is connected to the lower end of the receiver and extending upward is fitted with a funnel 1% at the top to receive water for expelling gases from the top of said receiver through the tube 4-.

A thermometer may be fitted to the receiver 1 on the flange 11 shown in Fig. 1 to enable the temperature of the water passing into such receiver to be ascertained. A partition or wall. 12 is arranged across the lower end of the receiver 1 in face of the inlet of tube 2 to direct the water entering the receiver in an upward direction before passing over to the outlet pipe 3 on the other side of said partition.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows The apparatus is suspended so that the tube 2 is at a slightly higher level than the outlet of the water of the element of the blast furnace which is to be tested, and the connection thereto is effected by means of a tube of the same or larger section than such tube 2.

@n cock 6 in tube 2 being opened water from the water jacket will pass into and fill receiver 1, the outlet tube 3 being kept closed until the gases have all escaped and water passes through tube a, the cock 9 of which is also left open, while that of the pressure gage 10, and also (where same is employed) that of the tuoe 13 being closed. W hen the fi ling has been effected, the cock 9 of tube 1 is closed, and by then opening cock 16 of the pressure gage 10, it will be seen if the pressure is smaller or greater than that of the atmospheric pressure. If the directions above indicated have been imperfectly performed and the pressure indicated by the pressure 10 is less than atiuospl'ieric the cock 8 of outlet 3 will have to be closed until the interior pressure in tube 2 slightly exceeds that of the atmosphere. It the outside pressure is less than the inner pressure it will he necessary to reduce the entrance of the cooling water until nearly equal pressures are established, the cock 8 being fully opened. 1V hen once equal pressures have thus been established in rd r to see what is occurring in the element of the blast furnace all the cocks by which air could enter the apparatus will be closed, and in the absence of any leakage the pressure therein being less than that of the atmosphere, if the apparatus was full of water it would remain so, as the gas from the furnace could not penetrate thereto, and consequently the level of the water in the receiver 1 would not descend.

If on the other hand a leakage however small exists in the furnace, the pressure of the gas is more than sufiicient to overcome the pressure exerted by the column of water in the receiver 1 plus the pressure created by the resistances. The gas will consequently penetrate into the crack and pass through the liquid and by the outlet pipe into receiver 1, in the upper part of which it will accumulate and acting on the liquid will cause same to descend therein, which will be apparent either through the gage in the case of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, or through the receiver itself when same is transparent as in the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

In most cases any flaw which occurs will allow the gases to fill the receiver 1 sufliciently rapidly to make the descent of the water therein at once apparent, but sometimes the crack might be so small that the lowering of the water would be very slow and in such cases the blast of the furnace might be shut off momentarily, and observation tnen made if in the absence of the pressure the level of the water descends.

Or the gases collected may be analyzed by allowing same to pass through tube at, by opening the cock 9 therein, and in the case of the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 1 introducing water through tube 13 by funnel 14.

In the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and a the body of the receiver 20, which is of glass, is screwed onto the metallic socket or base 25, to which the inlet tube and outlet tube are connected, and in which the partition or wall 21 is arranged with the inner gas extracting tube 40 passing through same and extending up to the top of the glass receiver and provided at its outer end with a cock 1-1. The top of the socket 25 is in the form of a dish or tray 26 to receive water and the base of the receiver'QO extends int'o said tray so as to form a water seal oint therewith.

In this construction the receiver 20 is constructei'l of glass and consequently, the water gage of the other construction is 1l11l1("SSZU' Y and may be omitted. The tube 46 which is the equivalent of the tube 4 of the other construction, extends upward from the bottom of the receiver and is open near the top thereof. This tube preferably passes through the partition 21 in the base and extends downward from the bottom of said base, thence is prolonged in an upward direction outside the apparatus to a point opposite the lower portion of the receiver, being provided at its upper end with a cock 1-1 which serves the pur pose of the cock 9 of the other construction. In this construction the supplementary tube 18 and funnel 1 1 are not required, as by reducing the water outlet 8, the water will rise in the receiver 20 and-so expel the accumulated gases through the interior tube 10.

The operation of the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to that of the other form. The turning of the cock 8 so as to restrict the outlet through tube 3 will, by causing the liquid to rise in the receiver 1, effect the expulsion of the gases from the top thereof through the downwardly extending tube 4 when the cock 9 thereof has been opened.

If V the gases on analysis are found to contain CO (carbon monoxid) the existence of a flaw is certain, as this happens but seldom and only when the water is heated to a point to be decomposed into gases, but in which case the analysis removes any doubt.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jackets of blast furnaces comprising a receiver closed at top and bottom, a connection near the bottom of such receiver with the outlet of the water jacket to be tested, an outlet from the bottom of the receiver, means for the escape of gases from the upper extremity of the closed receiver, and means for indicating the level of liquid therein, substantially as specified.

2. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver, means for connecting the lower part of said receiver with a water jacket to be tested, a pressure gage on said connecting means, an outlet from the lowerpart of said receiver, and means for the escape of gases from the upper part thereof.

3. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver provided in its lower part with an inlet, with an outlet and with an upward partition between said inlet and outlet, a pipe for connecting said inlet with the water jacket to be tested, and means for the escape of gases from the upper part of said receiver.

4. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver, means for connecting the lower part of said receiver with a water jacket to be tested, a water gage connected with said receiver to indicate the level of liquid therein, means for connecting the lower part of said receiver with a water jacket to be tested, and means for the escape of gases from the upper part of said receiver.

5. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver, means for connecting the lower part of said receiver with a water jacket to be tested, an outlet from the lower part of said receiver, means for the escape of gases from the upper part thereof, and a filling tube connected with the lower part of said receiver, extending upward from said connection and provided with a funnel at its upper end.

7. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace compris ing a receiver composed of a base and a transparent dome detachably connected therewith, means for connecting said base with the water jacket to be tested, an outlet for said base, and means for the escape of gases from said dome.

8. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver composed of a base and a transparent dome detachably connected therewith, means for connecting said base with the water jacket to be tested, an outlet for said base, and means for the escape of gases from said dome consisting of a tube extending through said base upward into said dome and opening near the top thereof.

9. An apparatus for detecting leakages in the water jacket of a blast furnace comprising a receiver, means for connecting the lower part of said receiver with a water jacket to be tested, an outlet from the lower part of said receiver, a pipe extending downward from said outlet and thence upward to the point of delivery, and means for the escape of gases from the upper part Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

